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How fast a Formula 1 car goes, and how it behaves on the track, depends on a lot of factors, including the amount of fuel in the car, according to Fernando Alonso and Pedro de la Rosa.
If filled to the brim, F1 cars can hold a maximum of 110 kilograms of fuel per race. With regulations dictating that cars cannot consume fuel at more than the rate of 100kg per hour, there's no need for maximum fuel in the cars.
Since 2014, F1 cars have been fitted with fuel-flow meters to help the FIA monitor the same. In 2020, the FIA introduced a second fuel-flow sensor to better regulate this.
Not long ago, the amount of fuel in a car wasn't part of a team's pre-race strategy, as mid-race refueling was allowed. However, in 2010, the FIA, with safety in mind, banned refueling during pitstops.
In a video posted on social media, Pedro de la Rosa, who serves as a brand ambassador for the Aston Martin F1 team, explained that the F1 car's behavior changes drastically, depending on the quantity of fuel in it.
“Driving a car with a high fuel vs low fuel obviously it’s night and day, I mean your drive a heavy car, it's predictable, it’s understeery,” he said, in a video posted on LinkedIn.
“It's boring actually,” he added. “And then when you drive a low low fuel car, it's difficult to drive, it's agile. It's very difficult to keep it in the knife edge, but it's a lot more challenging.”
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, who now drives for Aston Martin, said that the F1 cars are sensitive to weight and the speed difference between low and full fuel is about four seconds.
“Feels a little bit lazy, feels a little bit slow in all the movements. We are like a four seconds difference between full fuel and zero fuel. Formula 1 cars are very sensitive to weight,” he stated.
Fernando Alonso: “Drinking in a Formula 1 car is not the most enjoyable situation”
During Formula 1 races, drivers can quench their thirst using a tube in the helmet that's attached to a bag located near their seat inside the cockpit. The liquid flow can be controlled via a button on the steering wheel.
Explaining how the drinks system works in an F1 car and what liquids he drinks, Fernando Alonso said:
“During the race, we normally drink just water, we have a small bag of like half a liter that we put close to our seat. And we have a tube that goes in the mouth and we can drink.”
Fernando Alonso also stated that drinking anything when inside an F1 car isn't an enjoyable experience, as the temperature goes up as the race progresses. He added:
“The problem when the Formula 1 car is that the temperature inside the cockpit is very high, around 50 degrees. So you can imagine that any water that you put in the cockpit gets really hot after 10 laps or something. So yeah, drinking in a Formula 1 car is not the most enjoyable situation.”
